1mkfs_pcfs(1M) System Administration Commands mkfs_pcfs(1M)
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6 mkfs_pcfs - construct a FAT file system
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9 mkfs -F pcfs [generic_options] [-o FSType_specific_options] raw_device_file
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13 The pcfs-specific module of mkfs constructs a File Allocation Table
14 (FAT) on removable media (diskette, JAZ disk, ZIP disk, PCMCIA card), a
15 hard disk, or a file (see NOTES). FATs are the standard MS-DOS and Win‐
16 dows file system format. Note that you can use fdformat(1) to construct
17 a FAT file system only on a diskette or PCMCIA card.
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20 mkfs for pcfs determines an appropriate FAT size for the medium, then
21 it installs an initial boot sector and an empty FAT. A sector size of
22 512 bytes is used. mkfs for pcfs can also install the initial file in
23 the file system (see the pcfs-specific -o i option). This first file
24 can optionally be marked as read-only, system, and/or hidden.
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27 If you want to construct a FAT with mkfs for pcfs on a medium that is
28 not formatted, you must first perform a low-level format on the medium
29 with fdformat(1) or format(1M). Non-diskette media must also be parti‐
30 tioned with the fdisk(1M) utility. Note that all existing data on the
31 diskette or disk partition, if any, is destroyed when a new FAT is con‐
32 structed.
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35 generic_options are supported by the generic mkfs command. See mkfs(1M)
36 for a description of these options.
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39 raw_device_file indicates the device on which to write unless the -o N
40 option has been specified, or if the -V or -m generic options are
41 passed from the generic mkfs module.
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44 See mkfs(1M) for the list of supported generic options.
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47 The following options are supported:
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49 -o FSType_specific_options Specify pcfs file system-specific options
50 in a comma-separated list with no inter‐
51 vening spaces. If invalid options are
52 specified, a warning message is printed
53 and the invalid options are ignored.
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55 b=label Label the media with volume
56 label. The volume label is
57 restricted to 11 uppercase
58 characters.
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61 B=filename Install filename as the
62 boot loader in the file
63 system's boot sector. If
64 you don't specify a boot
65 loader, an MS-DOS boot
66 loader is installed. The
67 MS-DOS boot loader requires
68 specific MS-DOS system
69 files to make the diskette
70 bootable. See NOTES for
71 more information.
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74 fat=n The size of a FAT entry.
75 Currently, 12, 16, and 32
76 are valid values. The
77 default is 12 for
78 diskettes, 16 for larger
79 media.
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82 h Mark the first file
83 installed as a hidden file.
84 The -i option must also be
85 specified.
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88 hidden=n Set the number of hidden
89 sectors to n. This is the
90 number of sectors on the
91 physical disk preceding the
92 start of the volume (which
93 is the boot sector itself).
94 This defaults to 0 for
95 diskettes or a computed
96 valued (based on the fdisk
97 table) for disks. This
98 option may be used only in
99 conjunction with the
100 nofdisk option.
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103 i=filename Install filename as the
104 initial file in the new
105 file system. The initial
106 file's contents are guaran‐
107 teed to occupy consecutive
108 clusters at the start of
109 the files area. When creat‐
110 ing bootable media, a boot
111 program should be specified
112 as the initial file.
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115 nofdisk Do not attempt to find an
116 fdisk table on the medium.
117 Instead rely on the size
118 option for determining the
119 partition size. By default,
120 the created FAT is 16 bits
121 and begins at the first
122 sector of the device. This
123 origination sector can be
124 modified with the hidden
125 option (-h).
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128 nsect=n The number of sectors per
129 track on the disk. If not
130 specified, the value is
131 determined by using a
132 dkio(7I) ioctl to get the
133 disk geometry, or (for
134 diskette) from the results
135 of an FDIOGCHAR ioctl.
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138 ntrack=n The number of tracks per
139 cylinder on the disk. If
140 not specified, the value is
141 determined by using a
142 dkio(7I) ioctl to get the
143 disk geometry, or (for
144 diskette) from the results
145 of an FDIOGCHAR ioctl.
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148 N No execution mode. Print
149 normal output, but do not
150 actually write the file
151 system to the medium. This
152 is most useful when used in
153 conjunction with the ver‐
154 bose option.
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157 r Mark the first file
158 installed as read-only. The
159 -i option must also be
160 specified.
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163 reserve=n Set the number of reserved
164 sectors to n. This is the
165 number of sectors in the
166 volume, preceding the start
167 of the first FAT, including
168 the boot sector. The value
169 should always be at least
170 1, and the default value is
171 exactly 1.
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174 s Mark the first file
175 installed as a system file.
176 The -i option must also be
177 specified.
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180 size=n The number of sectors in
181 the file system. If not
182 specified, the value is
183 determined from the size of
184 the partition given in the
185 fdisk table or (for
186 diskette) by way of compu‐
187 tation using the FDIOGCHAR
188 ioctl.
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191 spc=n The size of the allocation
192 unit for space within the
193 file system, expressed as a
194 number of sectors. The
195 default value depends on
196 the FAT entry size and the
197 size of the file system.
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200 v Verbose output. Describe,
201 in detail, operations being
202 performed.
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207 raw_device_file The device on which to build the FAT. The device
208 name for a diskette must be specified as
209 /dev/rdiskette0 for the first diskette drive, or
210 /dev/rdiskette1 for a second diskette drive. For
211 non-diskette media, a disk device name must be qual‐
212 ified with a suffix to indicate the proper parti‐
213 tion. For example, in the name /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0p0:c,
214 the :c suffix indicates that the first partition on
215 the disk should receive the new FAT.
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217 For a file, raw_device_file is the block device name
218 returned by lofiadm(1M).
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222 The media in these examples must be formatted before running mkfs for
223 pcfs. See DESCRIPTION for more details.
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225 Example 1 Creating a FAT File System on a Diskette
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228 The following command creates a FAT file system on a diskette:
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231 mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdiskette
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235 Example 2 Creating a FAT File System on a Disk
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238 The following command creates a FAT file system on the second fdisk
239 partition of a disk attached to an x86 based system:
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242 mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c0d0p0:d
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246 Example 3 Creating a FAT File System on a ZIP Disk
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249 The following command creates a FAT file system on a ZIP disk located
250 on a SPARC based system:
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253 mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2:c
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257 Example 4 Creating a FAT File System on a JAZ Disk
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260 The following command creates a FAT file system on a JAZ disk located
261 on a SPARC based system and overrides the sectors/track and
262 tracks/cylinder values obtained from the device's controller:
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265 mkfs -F pcfs -o nsect=32,ntrack=64 /dev/rdsk/c0t3d0s2:c
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270 See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
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275 ┌─────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────┐
276 │ ATTRIBUTE TYPE │ ATTRIBUTE VALUE │
277 ├─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
278 │Availability │SUNWesu │
279 ├─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
280 │Interface Stability │Stable │
281 └─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────┘
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284 fdformat(1), fdisk(1M), format(1M), lofiadm(1M), mkfs(1M),
285 attributes(5), fd(7D), dkio(7I), fdio(7I)
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288 The default MS-DOS boot loader, which is installed by default if -o B
289 is not specified, requires specific MS-DOS system files to make the
290 diskette bootable. These MS-DOS files are not installed when you format
291 a diskette with mkfs for pcfs, which makes a diskette formatted this
292 way not bootable. Trying to boot from it on an x86 based system will
293 result in the following message:
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295 Non-System disk or disk error
296 Replace and strike any key when ready
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301 You must format a diskette with the DOS format command to install the
302 specific MS-DOS system files required by the default boot loader.
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305 You can use lofiadm to create a file that appears to a mkfs command
306 (for example, mkfs_pcfs or mkfs_ufs) as a raw device. You can then use
307 a mkfs command to create a file system on that device. See lofiadm(1M)
308 for examples of creating a UFS and a PC (FAT) file system on a device
309 created by lofiadm.
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313SunOS 5.11 1 Dec 2003 mkfs_pcfs(1M)